1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to decorative lighting for outdoor purposes, and more particularly to a novel low voltage lamp having interchangeable decorative sleeves which readily mounts a removable hood and a skirt base therebetween.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to employ outdoor lighting for landscaping purposes and to illuminate walkways. Usually such outdoor lamps are of the low voltage type and are also used to provide safe passage along walkways and to enhance surrounding landscape.
Further, such prior lamps are not usually decorated and are certainly not personalized, so that the degree of decorative appearance is not enhanced or theme continuity is not available. Since a plurality of such outdoor lamps is used in an overall pattern or arrangement, all of the shades surrounding the illumination means are of a unitary or identical appearance and no attempt is made to make a decorative covering or plurality of sleeves representative of particular groups, family members or the like.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a low voltage outdoor lamp having interchangeable decorative sleeves which surround the illuminating means, and wherein the decorative display on the sleeves of various lamps in the pattern represent certain graphic representations, personalized family members, or the like. A variety of themes can be portrayed representing festive holidays or selected subject matter. The sleeves should be interchangeable, so that the sleeves on the lamps can be changed.
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided by the present invention which provides a novel low voltage lamp having an internal illumination means which serves as a base for supporting or mounting a detachable hood which is supported on a fixed skirt. The hood and skirt are arranged in spaced-apart relationship and have a diameter which exceeds the diameter of the illumination means and its support. A decorative cylinder or sleeve is mountable between the peripheral edge of the skirt and the edge marginal region of the hood. Spacers may be provided for placing the sleeve between the hood and the skirt while resilient fasteners means detachably couples the hood to a support on the illuminating means support so that the decorative sleeve is releasably held between the hood and the skirt.
The external surface of the sleeve may carry a variety of indicia, pictures or graphic representations. In some instances, such indicia, graphic representations or pictures may be placed on the inside surface so as not to be exposed to the outdoor elements. The illumination means mounting or housing is carried on a support, such as a post or round spike. In one form, the resilient mounting means for the hood will take the form of an expandable helical spring having one end attached to a downwardly depending post from the hood which is in threadable connection with a support body, while the opposite end of the spring is releasably fastened by clips about the peripheral edge of the hood. A further feature for adjustment is provided by employing a plurality of alligator hooks or clamps attached to the support body which can be clipped to the edge of the illumination means mounting, base or housing.
Therefore, it can be seen that by detaching the hood through the hooks of the resilient means and by employing the clips or clamps of the support body to the mounting or housing for the illumination means, the surrounding sleeves may be readily inter changed or alternated with other sleeves having different decorative representations.
Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a novel low voltage outdoor lamp which has interchangeable decorative sleeves surrounding and coaxially disposed with respect to illumination means.
Another object of the present invention resides in providing a low voltage outdoor lamp having a removable hood which permits a decorative sleeve to be exchanged for another sleeve with different decorative subject matter.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel means for displaying a variety of festive themes by interchanging sleeves on an outdoor lamp having different exposed decorative representations.